Fort Worth daily gazette. (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1887-10-23
Colonel Ingersoll gives us too much

Colonel Ingersoll gives Us too much
olue-mass, and not enough tonic.
He cleanses US from error, but he doe.
not give Us much TO brsce up our shatter
ed nerves.
He sends up his magnificent converse,
tionsl fireworks, not caring where The
sparks fall.
His conversation is noble poem. His
speech string ofglittering pearls. L8n
suase is his most ready and obedient
servant. Words rush to obey his slight
est command, and vie with one aEothel
to render him eloquent. Smiles and
comparisons, epigrams and metaphors
worthy OF Shakespeare, enrich his com
mon conversation.
You hold your breath while listening.
lest some wonderful conceit escape you,
Yet in spite OF this opulerce Of phrase.
ology end his supreme disbelief in the or.
thodox msthOd of punishment, he has q
remarkable fondness for the adjective
| ''damn." From the midst Of his superb
utterances Of fne thoughts this naughty
word leaps forth and surprises you, like q
| bulldog in drswing-room.
| There are situations IN life, I think,
when the most devout Christian and the
most refined woman thinks damn! VERY
| gooc men sometimes utter it on such oc-
| casions. But it should be reserved for
times OF crest need. I wish Colon Ell
IngeTsou would not vitiate its usefulnes s
BY such frequent utterance.
Mr.. Irgersou has 10 methods OF WeIk,
no clockwork system Of rising or toiling.
He never makes anything but notes be-
Tore his greatest speeches, and these only
day or two preceding. His Orations
are never written out until the steno-
grspher takes them down during their
delivery.
He is fond OF all games, and is, SO his
wife tells me, an excellent cook. During
one CT their summer outings he cooked
I'll the breakfasts, and invited several
friends to partake OF his delicious
omelets and delicate "fries.n
He Is great jester. Some of his Jokes
sre too subtle for the ordlnsrv mind.
Knowing the proverbiaI propensity Of
the street beggar for using aims IN
Worthily, he sOlemnIy cautioned one re-
Gently in this wise: snow, don't 90 and
waste this dime on bread; bug whisky
with it, my good fellow" The bystander
who overheard him did not know it WAS
q joke. an afraid the beggar did not.
Colonel Ingersou does not like the
American custom Of interviewing. He
does not like the intrusion of the public
through the newspapers into g mans pri-
vate life.
All those who have suffered from the
misrepresentation and misconstruction of
the press, can understand how he NAV
have arrived ct this state Of feeling.
More powerful than pulpit or college
in forming public opinion and Shaping
destiDies is the press. Yet while no man
can occupy pulpit or collegiate chair
without proper preparation and creden-
tials, any man with fingers wherewith 70
clasp pencil may enter the editorial and
reportorial field.
Personal dislike or ignoble revenge are
permitted to distort the words and rnslign
the actions Of unoffending people. IN
efficiency and inattention wait on genius
and misrepresent it's utterances. Homes
are invaded and characters attacked by
Jealous spite or thoughtess ignorance.
YET we nave right to know something
Of the daily life OF the men and women
VINO set themselves before Us as teachers
or advisers. We have a right to look
INTO the private life Of the clergyman who
tells rs That ne can save our souls from
perdltion, and il his practice is not har-
monlouS with his preaching, we have
reason to doubt his protestations.
We have right to look into the private |
life OF Colonel Ingersoll, who declares J
thst the humanitarian is greater than the |
Christian. II his conduct Jas husband, |
father and citizen is open to criticism we |
have the right 70 criticise and condemn |
him as al intellectual adviser. Fortu-
nately for him and his cause, his private |
lie Is worthy OF all praise and emulation. |
lie he's nameless cir Of well bred en-
nui while listening to the talk OF other |
people. It is not to be wondered ct; our |
commonplace expressions must seem to |
this king of Or.tory like the music of the |
hsnd-organ to Beethoven. -
Colonel Ingersoll said to me the other /
evening: ~ |
'Life is railroad train, On which every
passenger knows he must be killed. Mayrf
be today, maybe tomorrow, BUT seme-
where down the line he must meethis |
doom. All! have no use for e world |
With death in it, and the jolly face grew
sad, the clear, honest eyes Swallowed with
pain as he spoke.
wonder if this great man did not
Know that the folly and falIscy of his |
.heorles CT future life were expressed in
he words he uttered.
wonder If he does not feel that the
beautiful and holy love which unites his
amily is divine, and cannot end with this
TorId. I
There is pessimlstic tone to much he
sys of late. Is the great agnostic war
ior laying down his arms before thehat-
lie is over? ELLA WHEELER WILG9x.